Traveling to Disney with 5 or more people

Families are all different, and they come in a variety of sizes and types. Unfortunately when it comes to traveling (anywhere, not just Disney) the typical hotel room sleeps 4. Many might want to do Disney with 5 or more people. What are your options when your group is more than 4? Whether it’s 1 or 2 parents with more than 2 kids, a trip where Grandma is coming along, or just a group of friends who wants to travel together, you still have some great choices when it comes to doing Disney with 5 or more people. Here are some of my top tips.

How to plan a trip to Disney with 5 or more people:

Know what your Resort Options are

Be aware of which resorts can accommodate your party! Many resorts have suites and rooms to hold more than 4, but not all do. Many of the ones with villas or suites are DVC (Disney Vacation Club). Disney will often sell these rooms if they don’t go to members, but they may be harder to get.

It may end up being more economical to get 2 standard rooms. This generally works better for families with multiple adults because you can split up the kids and have some stay with mom and dad, and some stay with grandma and grandpa, for example. Some standard rooms have connecting doors, and you can request to be next to/nearby the room (though it’s worth noting that Disney will not guarantee you adjoining/adjacent rooms. They just do the best they can to honor your request).

Use a Travel Agent

Whoa, that’s a lot of options. And at a huge range of prices. How do you know which one is best for you? The best way to handle it is to let someone else help you figure it out. And that’s where using a travel agent who specializes in Disney comes in. I’m a travel agent and happy to help people plan their dream Disney trips FOR FREE! We can figure out not just which resort is right for you, but how many days you should stay, where to eat, etc. If you’re interested in learning more or booking with me, please send me an email at beckyg@castledreamstravel.com.

Coordinate on My Disney Experience

My Disney Experience is what you use to book your dining reservations, fastpasses, view photos, etc. You sign up using an email address, and you can create everyone in your party under one account. However, if you are traveling with other people who might already have their own accounts (like from past trips) you want to make sure that you are friends with them on My Disney Experience. That way you can share your plans and also include them in your plans when you do go to book things.

With older groups, don’t be afraid to split up

This may not apply if you only have one or two adults and several younger kids, but if you have teenagers, several families traveling together, or are just a large group of friends I always advise people to be willing to split up. Odds are not everyone is interested in the same rides/attractions, and you don’t want people in your group to be miserable doing something they don’t want to be doing. I’ve been there – I’ve had the grumpy companion who complained the whole time we were waiting on line and doing an attraction and it makes it miserable for everyone.

Plan some time together and some time apart and you’re sure to appreciate your time together in a large group that much more.

Choose buffets or family style meals

When you dine out with large groups, it can take a long time for everyone to decide what they want, for the server to take your orders, bring the food, and then the check. This can take a large chunk out of your day in the theme parks! One solution: choose mostly buffets or family style meals.

There are a lot of benefits to these meals with large groups. To begin with, on a buffet there are plenty of options so everyone can usually find something they like. Many of the buffets are character meals, which means an extra opportunity to meet some of your favorites, especially if there are a lot of kids in your group. Family style meals are great for a variety of items that get passed around the table as well. Another benefit is that if you have multiple families or people paying, it’s much easier to split the check at a buffet or family style meal.

Here are some of my favorite buffets and family style restaurants that I recommend:

1900 Park Fare

Boma – Flavors of Africa

Chef Mickey’s

Crystal Palace

Garden Grill

Hollywood and Vine

Liberty Tree Tavern

Ohana

Whispering Canyon Cafe

Search for smaller dining reservations

It might be difficult to find tables for bigger groups. I’m traveling with a group of 8 this February and even with making reservations at our 180 day mark, there wasn’t always availability for a party of 8 at the places we wanted. However, we were able to find two tables of 4 at the same time. We are flexible and okay if we are not seated near each other for every meal. If an extremely popular restaurant is on your list, like Be Our Guest, this method may help secure a table for you!

It also helps to be open to dining at more “off” times. Lunch at Cinderella’s Royal Table is easier to get than dinner. A 4:30 dinner reservation at Be Our Guest will be easier to snag than a 6:30pm reservation. In general, the more flexible that you can be, the better.

This may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to planning a Disney trip for your large group! Everyone’s trips will be different, so for more personalized recommendations I really recommend that you email me at beckyg@castledreamstravel.com. And let me know in the comments any other questions or issues that have come up in your planning!

I love the fact that Disney recognizes many families need more than a standard hotel room, especially as families often become less “typical.” They definitely recognized this with the Art of Animation resort being a majority of family suites, and it has been very popular!

My only real trip to DisneyWorld was in 2014 with a group of 12–my uncle and his family and my parents and 4 of my siblings.We stayed in a condo rented off site with 5 bedrooms, and we had two vehicles–we ended up always starting the day out together, but usually only part of the group wanted to stay up until the parks closed, so some would go back to the condo at a more reasonable hour while the rest of us kept playing. It worked out really great! We did one sit-down meal all together each day–so many amazing memories!

That sounds like a perfect way to do it! I went with my husband’s family in 2011 with about 15 and we did something similar, but for the first half of the trip they really tried to keep everyone together the whole time. It took forever to get 15 people to agree on something and then all get over to that ride! By the third day we did one ride together in the morning and then usually split up, and joined back for dinner.

About Me

Hi, I'm Becky!

I'm a huge Disney fan in my early 30's and always trying to find a way to put a little bit of Disney into everyday life. I live in Pennsylvania but travel to the theme parks several times a year - I'm an annual passholder at Disney World! In addition to Disney I love traveling, running, and theater.

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